Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Miss Lydia Buys Tulips: Stitch Tulip Skirt


Lovelies, I have a problem. Skirts hate me.

I don't know why. It's not like I've started an anti-skirt movement or sworn my eternal allegiance to pants. If anything, I've always been a friend to the skirts. A pro-skirt activist even! Yet...they scorn me still.  Whenever I try my hand at making skirts, things go horribly, horribly wrong. Remember The Great Ginger Debacle of 2011? Even Simplicity 2215, which has been so good to me as a dress pattern, failed me as a skirt. Despite it being adorable out of the gate, the invisible zipper quickly broke, taking a big part of the skirt into its coils. It was consigned to the unwearable rag pile too soon.

I don't know what made me think things would go better this time. Perhaps, it was a sewing high from The Esme Dress that made me believe I could finally conquer a skirt pattern. There had been one pattern, after all, that has been haunting me for months. Ever since I discovered the Tulip Skirt pattern from Stitch Magazine, it's been on my mind. Those slanted pleats, that curvy shape! It was even designed by Jenny Gordy, for goodness sake! What's more, there are adorable versions of it all around the internet: Jenny's own pastel lovely, Make Something's version with typewriter buttons, and Emily Kate's perfect denim basic being a few of my favorites. It seemed the slam dunk of skirts.

Oh, poor foolish Mary...

 At fist glance, all seems well. It's made from a basic khaki twill, bought from JoAnn's during one of their coupon crazy weekends. In the heavier fabric, the shape is a little boxy, but the pleats are still nice and the waistband flattering. Or is it...?

It is not.

Y'all, I ran into some major fitting problems. You see, the khaki is not my first tulip skirt attempt. The first, a wearable muslin of sorts, was made from that lovely mustard Lisette twill that was on the market a few seasons ago. Unfortunately, that version is practically unwearable, as it is a good inch too small in the waist. This despite the size I cut out being suggested for my exact measurements. Even with adjusting side seams, it's a skirt only to be worn with Spanx. Two pairs would be best.

 Super cute! Until I try to eat something....

That poor, poor button. Such strain for a little thing!

Yet, I would not be defeated so easily. I decided to try the larger size, with this twill I stumbled upon. Of course, despite the measurements being only a bit larger, this skirt is too big. Witness the waistband sag in the picture above. Horrors!

I won't quibble with things being a bit too big, however. Isn't that what belts are for? If I ever attend a Turkey dinner in this skirt, I shall be able to eat all I like, without fear of button malfunctions. Unfortunately, we have another problem. This fabric loves wrinkles like I love Sherlock Holmes. Y'all, in these photos, I've been wearing this skirt for all of 10 minutes. And I have not sat down. Yet, look! Look at those waistband wrinkles! This puppy has been interfaced to within an inch of its life and still - still! - it wrinkles. You should see it right now. I look as if I've been in a fight with an accordion. Sigh.


 Still, at least it's wearable, right? I don't feel particularly lovely in it, but I'm sporting it in public today. The yellow one has yet to see the light of day. As of yet, no one has pointed and laughed. So...that's a good sign. It's just a bit of a meh skirt, you know? Nothing I'm particularly proud of. I do think in a lighter weight fabric, like the suggested linen, it might be a bit more flattering. Twill doesn't exactly drape well, after all. Let's be honest, though. I probably won't be making another version of this to find out. Another skirt pattern will have to win me over, instead. For now, I'm back to my beloved dresses...

Onto the not-so-delightful details...

Things I Changed:
  • Added an extra button to the waistband. I thought one button of this size and that wide waistband was asking for odd pulling and twisting about. So, I added another. It still oddly pulls and twists about.
  • Omitted the tie waist. The tie on the pattern was a bit short and I didn't like the bulk it added to the waist, so I unpicked it and consigned it to the trash.
Things I Would Change, If I Made It Again:
  • Fix the bloody waistband! I don't know how, but I would. There has to be a happy medium between to tight and too saggy. This is not it.  I will not be making another one of these, though, as I've had enough skirt punishment for the time being.
Things I Love:
  • The buttons. I always love buttons. Plus, these are from a vintage covered button kit I scored off of Etsy. A seller had bought a sewing lot at an estate sale and didn't know what to do with the 30 kits she ended up with. Well, since I firmly believe modern covered button kits are total rubbish, I took them off her hands. Hooray! I have enough covered button kits for at least a year.
Notions & Fabric:
  • Khaki twill from JoAnn Fabrics: $7/yard on sale
  • Six hand-covered fabric buttons
Time to Make:
  • Three hours
Do you have any skirt pattern suggestions, dear readers? Something that will cleanse my sewing palate of all these disasters? I need something to turn my luck around!



20 comments

  1. Try this...

    http://www.simplicity.com/p-6124-misses-skirts.aspx#t-0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the tip, Anon! I'll have to give that one a whirl.

      Delete
  2. hey hun, maybe a thick elastic instead of the band? or omit the band .. I also think a little shorter should be flattering. I can suggest a lovely skirt in tulip shape too.

    Cynthia Rowley Tulip Skirt 2512 –C&D

    http://houseofpinheiro.blogspot.com/2011/06/tulips-skirts-vol-4-final-journey.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rachel, thank you so much for the suggestions! You know, I've only seen the Rowley skirt made up in view A, but I LOVE your version in D. The line drawing doesn't do it justice. That one is actually in my stash, so I may give it a try rather soon...

      Also, I hadn't thought about an elastic banded skirt. I've never worn one, but I have loved Julia Bobbin's elastic-waist skirts. That just might be the solution!

      Delete
  3. i really love that yellow and the stripes combo! sorry it doesn't fit right. as far as people pointing and laughing...90% of people don't look HALF as cute as you do in your lovely khaki skirt. not that you need to compare yourself to people that don't even care about what they wear but still.
    good job for not giving up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Sarah! I love the yellow skirt with the stripes, as well. What's funny is, after looking at these pictures this morning, I decided the yellow skirt wasn't as bad as I'd made it out. I wore it to dinner, with the striped shirt untucked and a v-neck sweater over it, and ended up loving it. Perhaps I've been a bit hard on my tulip skirts, in the end. Thanks again! :D

      Delete
    2. glad to hear it! i bet it looked great.

      Delete
  4. I love the yellow skirt! It's a shame it's too small. Is there any way you could sew a little wedge shape, kind of like a gusset, into the side seams of the waistband?

    You pull off the mariniere look so well! The yellow skirt/striped shirt look reminds me of the envelope for (now OOP) Butterick 5335.

    Garnet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Garnet, you are a genius! I didn't even think of a waist gusset. I think I'll give that a try this weekend, actually. The hips and everything else fit perfect, plus I adore the color, so it seems a waste to give it up. After seeing these pictures, I styled it a bit differently and wore it out to dinner...and actually ended up liking it quite a bit. If it can be rescued for regular wear, I will be much happier.

      Also, I hadn't seen that envelope until now! I just adore that color combo...and may have to track down that pattern, as I love that dress. Sailor-chic has always been one of my favorite fashion tropes.

      Delete
  5. Perhaps a little bit of interfacing in the band to stiffen it up and help it retain it's shape?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for the suggestion, Tina! You know what's awful? This is the skirt with not one, but two, sides of the waistband interfaced. If I use this twill again, I'm going to buy a stiffer variety for sure...

      Delete
    2. Interesting... Do you read Gerti's Blog for Better Sewing? In her post today, she talks about using boning in her waistbands. I never thought about that, and probably wouldn't using boning with twill, but if you make fancier skirts in the future...?

      For the record, I also have skirt-waist issues. And it often makes me feel a little pudgy. Which is probably why I avoid skirts. And yet! So many cute skirts!
      http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2012/02/finished-vogue-8640-aka-suits-gone-wild.html

      Delete
  6. it's a shame the fit is off, because it looks like a lovely skirt - and you've styled it beautifully!

    I've got a pdf of the skirt pattern, which I was hoping to try out this Spring - but I don't have the instructions so I'm going to just try to work it out as I go along! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Shivani! I actually did the exact same thing with this pattern - I only had the pdf, so I had to wing it. It's actually wonderfully easy to construct, even without directions. Thank heavens! I'm sure yours will turn out beautifully, with a much better fit than either of mine. ;)

      Delete
  7. I traced this pattern long ago but still haven't made. You know, I wonder if a contoured waistband might help? I know a lot of folks just have or draft TNT waistbands they add onto every skirt/trousers regardless of what the pattern calls for. I have a hard time with straight waistbands--they do funny things, like stick out even when they're tight, or stick out when they're big. (Why I have a lot of belts!)

    Oh, and I'm suck a sucker for sailor stripeys and this one is awesome. I love that blue!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy, thank you for the wonderful suggestion! I use a bodice sloper for certain patterns, but it never occurred to me to do a similar thing with waistbands. With all the trouble I have with them, that's probably the best solution. Straight waistbands really are finicky little beasts, aren't they? I have the same issues!

      Also, aren't sailor stripes the best? This shirt is a recent purchase from Ann Taylor Loft - I just couldn't resist those blue stripes. This shirt is going to get a lot of wear this spring, I can already tell!

      Delete
  8. Oh boy, don't you hate it when patterns just never seem to work no matter what you do. I have problems with waistbands, too. I've developed a bit of a "pooch" (or so I like to call it). If the waistband falls below or on it accentuates the pooch, if higher, suddenly I'm back to my younger, pooch-less self.

    Are you able to wear the skirt with a sweater? It's probably hot there, but maybe a sweater would look really cute while hiding the waistband a bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sophia, it's the worst! Expending all that effort, only to consign things to the "meh" pile is such a horrid feeling.

      Also, you're a wardrobe mind-reader! I actually wore the yellow skirt today with a sweater and it was pretty adorable. I'm so used to tucking shirts into skirts, but this is one that looks infinitely better other ways. It was a fantastic suggestion!

      Delete
  9. Oh your post made me giggle so much. Not in a mean way, but in sympathy. I am novice seamstress, far less skilled than you, I'm sure, but boy do I know that feeling of "I cannot believe how hard I worked on this and how closely I followed the instructions but yet it doesn't look/fit right?!?!?" So glad you have suggestions above to make them both work and that your post is full of such good humour.

    ReplyDelete
  10. My go to skirt pattern is the tulip version of simplicity 2451, it's a nice shape (not too tulipey) has a yoke so it's easy to adjust, good pleats, and although the pattern doesn't have a lining it's easy to add one. I've made the a-line version too but the tulip is my fav

    ReplyDelete


UP